3We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. 4In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us,c and by our sincere love.
II Corinthians 6:3-6
It’s difficult to read the Bible. I know a lot of people agree with me. It’s a really heavy, daunting book that has a stigma of stirring up controversy or being outdated. My biggest obstacle has been misunderstanding the context of verses. I often hear a verse I really like and agree wholeheartedly with, only to go read the chapter it lies within and think “huh?” I do enjoy church, because our pastor has a ton of historical knowledge and gives us a thorough contextual education of a passage prior to reading it. He has completely altered some of my opinions thanks to his thoughtful presentations of scripture.
This morning, eh night, at 4 a.m., I woke up to our puppy Gretel barking. I can usually sleep through it, but this was dire yelping, and her volume said, “I’m not messing around.” I opened our bedroom door and the aroma of fresh poop hit my nostrils. Rude awakening. Gretel has pooped in her crate maybe five times, but this was two nights in a row. Not cool, girl. I grabbed Gretel before she could do her popcorn jump up and down my body with her poopy paws. I was so mad. She’s the sweetest puppy and has a little tummy illness right now, but I was still grit-your-teeth upset with her. Supervised pooping opportunities were abundant before you went to your crate! We would have given you a hero’s full-body scratch with a beef liver treat if you had pooped then. I held her firmly as I pressure washed (Not really guys. Don’t call the Humane Society…) the poo off her and aggressively dried her off. Matt had taken the duty (or doodie) of cleaning her crate. Afterward, he scratched Gretel’s damp ears and said “poor girl.” It’s moments like that I know Matt is going to be such an understanding daddy, and mommy (if she’s not careful) may be the irrational, short-tempered parent.
Okay, so how do II Corinthians, my thoughts on the Bible, and Gretel’s poop story tie together? Excellent question. Understanding. That’s what I was searching for this morning when Matty was feeling pity for our helpless pup. That’s what I seek when I page through (or more often, scroll through) verses of the Bible. The apostle Paul wrote II Corinthians as a letter explaining his ministry after the people in Corinth began doubting his credibility. Paul has thicker skin than I. To clarify, I have not been beaten, put in prison, faced a jeering crowd, worked to exhaustion (only by choice), or been deprived of sleep and food because of my religion (v. 6). But ways I hope to live out my faith are all listed in the next verse: through purity, understanding, patience, kindness, and sincere love.
Being sympathetic of our puppy’s mishap may seem mundane, but Matt set a great example this morning of a patient, understanding heart. Matt does not show this beautiful spirit solely to irresistible, baby animals. He extends these traits to his sometimes witchy wife, and so many others. I guess when I say understanding I think of compassion and empathy. I’m not so sure my knee jerk reaction is to attempt to understand. I usually go straight to trembling in an irate state. My man seems to be gifted with innate understanding. I love when I see things in him that make me feel crappy. Haha. I know that sounds backwards, but he helps sharpen me into the gal I’d love to be. Thank you, God, for the gift of understanding. I’d love to acquire it someday.
